Absorbent article with deformation inducing means

• US 6,447,496 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2000
• Issued: 09/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Original Assignee: Unicharm Corporation
• Inventors: Mizutani, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stephens, Jacqueline F.
• Application Number:
  US09/565,419
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 604/347, 604/354, 604/386, 604/387, 604/378, 604/385.01, 604/385.23, 604/385.24, 604/385.26, 604/385.27, 604/385.17, 210/9, 2 4/94
• US Class Current: 604/385.17
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/47218 with a raised crotch region, e.g. hump
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/47263 with activating means, e.g. elastic, heat or chemical activatable means
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 13/49017 the elastic means being located at the crotch region
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2013/49039 the elastic means is located around the target zone

Abstract

An absorbent article such as sanitary napkin having an absorbent laminate is provided on a skin-noncontactable side of the laminate with deformation inducing means. The deformation inducing means include a hydrophobic panel member and an elastically stretchable member adapted to pull the panel member toward its middle under contractile force of the elastically stretchable member and thereby to convexly deform the panel member toward a skin-contactable side of the laminate. Convex deformation of the panel member by the deformation inducing means allows the laminate to be convexly deformed.

Claims

1. An absorbent article having a longitudinal center line, a transverse center line being orthogonal to said longitudinal center line, a skin-contactable side and a skin-noncontactable side, said absorbent article comprising:

an absorbent laminate and deformation inducing means provided adjacent said skin-noncontactable side so as to convexly deform the absorbent laminate toward said skin-contactable side,

said absorbent laminate having a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core disposed between said topsheet and said backsheet,

said deformation inducing means including a hydrophobic panel member and an elastically stretchable member secured to said panel member parallel to said transverse center line so as to convexly deform said panel member toward said skin-contactable side as said elastically stretchable member elastically contracts,

respective regions of said absorbent laminate and said deformation inducing means are convexly deformed to substantially flat states against a contractible force of said elastically stretchable member when a contracting pressure directed from said skin-contactable side toward said skin-noncontactable side is exerted on said article, and

said deformation inducing means being disposed beneath said absorbent laminate on an outer surface of said backsheet below the skin-noncontactable side and secured to said backsheet at two or more portions thereof in the proximity of its transversely opposite side edges.

2. An absorbent article having a longitudinal center line, a transverse center line being orthogonal to said longitudinal center line, a skin-contactable side and a skin-noncontactable side, said absorbent article comprising:

an absorbent laminate and deformation inducing means provided adjacent said skin-noncontactable side so as to convexly deform said absorbent laminate toward said skin-contactable side;

said absorbent laminate including a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core disposed between said topsheet and said backsheet;

said absorbent laminate including a convexly deformable zone which lies on both sides of said longitudinal center line so as to be contoured symmetrically with respect to said longitudinal center line and deformation assisting means being defined in both sides of said convexly deformable zone;

said deformation inducing means including a hydrophobic panel member and an elastically stretchable member secured to said panel member along said longitudinal center line so as to convexly deform said panel member toward said skin-contactable side as said elastically stretchable member elastically contracts;

said deformation Inducing means being disposed beneath said absorbent laminate on an outer surface of said backsheet; and

respective regions of said absorbent laminate and said deformation inducing means are convexly deformed to substantially flat states against a contractile force of said elastically stretchable member when a contracting pressure directed from said skin-contactable side toward said skin-noncontactable side is exerted on said article.

3. The article according to claim 2, wherein a convexly deformable zone defined in said absorbent laminate lies on both sides of said longitudinal center line so as to be contoured symmetrically with respect to said longitudinal center line and includes first deformation assisting means extending on said skin-noncontactable side along a section of said longitudinal center line.

4. The article according to claim 3, wherein said convexly deformable zone in said absorbent laminate further includes second deformation assisting means which divert at opposite ends from said first deformation assisting means.

5. The article according to claim 4, wherein said absorbent laminate and said deformation inducing means are secured together by means of said second deformation assisting means.

6. The article according to claim 4, wherein said second deformation assisting means comprise a series of compressed dots or compressed grooves.

7. The article according to claim 6, wherein said deformation inducing means are disposed on the outer surface of said backsheet and secured to said backsheet at two or more portions thereof in the proximity of its transversely opposite side edges.

8. The article according to claim 2, wherein said first deformation assisting means comprise compressed grooves, slits or series of compressed dots.

9. The article according to claim 2, wherein said panel member is foldable along said longitudinal line towards said skin-contactable side.

10. The article according to claim 2, wherein said panel member has a cantilever-measured value of 40˜

100 mm as measured according to JIS.

11. The article according to claim 2, wherein said panel member is selected from the group consisting of paper sheets, fibrous sheets, foamed plastic sheets, non-foamed plastic sheets, and laminates consisting of mixtures thereof.

12. The article according to claim 2, wherein said elastically stretchable member is secured to said absorbent laminate or to said panel member at two or more portions thereof in the vicinity of longitudinally opposite ends of said absorbent laminate or said panel member.

13. The article according to claim 2, wherein said elastically stretchable member has a stretch stress of 50˜

1500 g.

14. The article according to claim 2, wherein said absorbent laminate comprises a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core disposed between said topsheet and said backsheet.

15. The article according to claim 14, wherein surfaces of said liquid-absorbent core and said backsheet opposed to each other at least in said convexly deformed portions of the absorbent laminate are separable from each other.

16. An absorbent article having a longitudinal center line, a transverse center line being orthogonal to said longitudinal center line, a skin-contactable side and a skin-noncontactable side, said absorbent article comprising:

an absorbent laminate and deformation inducing means provided adjacent said skin-noncontactable side so as to convexly deform said absorbent laminate toward said skin-contactable side;

said absorbent laminate including a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core disposed between said topsheet and said backsheet;

said deformation inducing means including a hydrophobic panel member and an elastically stretchable member secured to said panel member along said longitudinal center line so as to convexly deform said panel member toward said skin-contactable side as said elastically stretchable member elastically contracts, said panel member having a width which is narrower than a width of said absorbent laminate both measured along said transverse center line and said panel member lying inwardly of said transversely opposite side edges of said absorbent laminate;

said deformation inducing means being disposed beneath said absorbent laminate on an outer surface of said backsheet; and

respective regions of said absorbent laminate and said deformation inducing means are convexly deformed to substantially flat states against a contractile force of said elastically stretchable member when a contracting pressure directed from said skin-contactable side toward said skin-noncontactable side is exerted on said article.